come dine with me...

Picture this: A square plate centered by a Salad of Mesclun Greens lightly dressed placed on four spokes of Pepper Crackers. Each corner was garnished with an English Cucumber slice, a portion of Sun-dried Tomato and a large scoop of Lobster Salad. Delicious!

Picture that: New England splendor in the Uncas' Grille at Mohegan Sun Casino.

blognotes: There is a Brunch Menu from 11:30 to 2:30 [the entrées looked very interesting; another reason to return]

bloginfo: www.mohegansuncasino

Dinner tonight at Max Amoré in Glastonbury was a delicious if not noisy evening. Why some people need to take small cranky, sleepy children to a restaurant is beyond me. Maybe it's the trophy child syndrome; the parents looked too old for these small children [grandparents maybe?]. After they finally left, the restaurant experience became a little gentler [but the acoustics there really do suck!].

We started with the family sized Calamari. This appetizer contains a large amount of red chili peppers, so watch out, delicious but hot. The House Salad, even with the added Gorgonzola, is a bit drab; glad two of us shared one of these.

Entreés were definitely more successful. One order of a Half Chicken came with Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Vegetables. The Hangar Steak was very nicely served medium rare as ordered, same Mashed Potatoes but had Garlicy Spinach and Grilled Onions. The 12oz. Bistecca was done medium well and came with the Spinach and the Max Amoré version of Hash Browns spiced up with Bacon.

Desserts were a Creme Brulée, Chocolate Budino and the Sorbeto [Lime, Mango and Raspberry].

Service was snail-like with a server better suited for competing in the Ms. Zombie 2006 Internationale.

bloginfo: www.maxrestaurantgroup.com

The best Sushi I have eaten recently was at Icihiban where we gathered after the wedding rehearsal. Two huge platters of delicacies with tastes of Eel, Softshell Crab, Tuna, Avacado.

Cold Strawberry Soup with Mint in the air conditioned dining room of the BoatHouse on the Connecticut River was breathtaking. Candied Walnuts in a Pear and Goat Cheese Salad after dancing with the Mother of the Groom; what a memory.

blognotes: Best Wishes to the Bride and Groom: a spectacular couple!

bloginfo:
Ichiban is located on Farmington Avenue in Hartford across the street from Tisane and Monte Alban.
Dinner at the BoatHouse was catered by Avon Old Farms Inn.

Puerta Vallarta in the Cromwell Plaza [CT] has reopened after a kitchen fire. It's all brand new and a great place to celebrate or just have an inexpensive meal.

We had Burrittos; one with Carne and the other with Pollo. Both were terrific! The Green Chili Sauce is so authentic it sings.

Johnny Rockets at the Mohegan Sun Casino serves up a fab cheeseburger; rivaling even Shady Glen in Manchester, CT.

The Smoke House Burger comes with Minced Onion, Tillamook Cheddar, Smoke House Bacon and Fried Onion Rings all encased in a Fresh Baked Roll. This is all wrapped in waxed paper and looks little but tastes big.

The burger and unlimited fresh-brewed iced tea came to $8.69; a great lunch [an addition of Fries would have been great but I resisted the temptation].

bloginfo: www.johnnyrockets.com

Houstons on Biscayne in Aventura [FL] is a great place for lunch.

The parking lot is so big they have a tram/trolley to get you from your car to the restaurant. Very noisy, very hip and very good!!

Red Bean Soup was good, the French Dip was good but the Evil Jungle Thai Salad was wonderful. It contained mangoes, vermicelli, tomatoes, peanuts and fresh basil, mint and cilantro and assorted greens. The dressing had just the right amount of zing/zip.

Would like to try it for dinner sometime [hint, hint].

LOCANDA SIBILLA or so it says on the check [the sign on the restaurant was different] is not the best of Lincoln Road. And Lincoln Road in Miami has so many winners.

The Tagliere [charcuterie plate] was excellent. It was just the right size for three and the Smoked Mozzarella was fine while expensive [$14.50]. The Pinot Grigio was excellent also.

It was the entrées that just didn't make it. Two orders of Pollo Valdostana and one of Petto di Pollo were dry, dry, dry. Whether they lived for an Italian eternity under the heat lamp [perhaps trying for a Sicilian tan] or just a chef's bad night in the kitchen, they were bad.

The waiter tried to console us with Limoncellos but we were in a pout [especially me] so left to people watch for the rest of the night.

blognotes: We spent the earlier part of the evening in the Design District at their Second Saturday celebration from 6 to 10. Open galleries, wine and cheese; I recommend it.

The Matador Argentinian Steakhouse in North Miami serves up more meat and wine than you can possibly consume for $26.95 [weekdays even cheaper].

A large cold appetizer buffet offered various salads and endless ways to start your meal. Another hot buffet had rice, potato dishes, empanadas and vegetables to accompany your meal. But the whole reason for being here is to sample the many types of meats. The offerings here, unlike the Brazilian rodizio, were all prepared and ordered from the grill staff. They would cook any of the items to your liking. There was Chorizo, Beef Ribs, Steaks, Chops, Filet Mignon, Sweetbreads, etc. The grill staff took your order and then told you in how many minutes to return.

Each diner also got a bottle of wine, not per couple but per person. We had several bottles of a good Cabernet. Just right for the red meat!

Coffee and dessert were also included in the price. The flan and crepes were passable. Remember this place is about meat.

The winner was the Beef Ribs.

bloginfo: Matador Argentinian Steakhouse, 3207 NE 163rd Street, North Miami, FL 305.944.6001
blognotes: Large parties are the norm here. And like Continental dining, people eat very late.